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Potter needs a midfielder | Getty Images
West Ham are now being linked with a midfielder Graham Potter knows well.
West Ham are now being linked with an out-of-favour Premier League midfielder as they rush to get business done before the end of the summer transfer window, which is next Monday. The Hammers have been left with a lot to do having allowed players like Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez to leave without properly replacing them.
There have been some good signings, like Callum Wilson, but Friday night’s thrashing at the hands of Chelsea showed that Graham Potter needs much more help. Jamie Redknapp pointed out as much after the game, saying on Sky Sports: “They need four, five, six new signings. They haven't got the quality. I've seen some defending in my life... that was as bad as it gets. It was so poor.
"Confidence is low. The goalkeeper doesn't make it any easier - he's having a really difficult time. He probably needs to be changed. He's already made high-profile mistakes. [Alphonse] Areola might have to come in. He doesn't fill me with any confidence right now."
One of the signings Potter and the Hammers need is a holding midfielder, needing to replace Alvarez, who left on loan. One potential option, according to reports, is Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma, who is expected to leave before the end of the window.
Bissouma is in the final year of his contract, and he has fallen down the pecking order after the arrival of Joao Palhinha this season. Fenerbahce were being heavily linked, with Jose Mourinho reportedly making Bissouma is main target.
But according to TBR Football, Tottenham could loan out Bissouma, and West Ham are said to be interested, with Graham Potter having managed the midfielder during some of best times at Brighton. A loan would perhaps suggest that Tottenham would be hoping to agree a short-term contract agreement to protect themselves from losing the midfielder for free next summer.
West Ham will also likely be able to get Bissouma on a permanent deal for a reasonable price given his contract situation.
Potter said of Bissouma during his Brighton days: “He has tried very hard to understand what we are doing as a team. He has been playing in the role often so he understands what he has to do. I think Adam Lallana plays an important role alongside him as well as Pascal (Gross) - and Lewis Dunk behind him.
"They help him and I think he has taken his game forward. Everybody knew the quality that he had in terms of his very highest actions are so high. It’s about getting that consistency and maybe the lowest of his actions higher up, if that makes sense. I thought he was really good. He grew into the game in the second half, really drove the game.”
Bissouma had a decent start at Tottenham but has been inconsistent for the most part, attracting plenty of criticism for his performances last season. But he is still a player who has proven himself competent at Premier League, and he has already thrived in Potter’s system.
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